Jigmastas - The Grassroots Mix by DJ Kensei

Some of you may revoke my hip hop card, but I was never the biggest fan of the Jigmastas. Not that I disliked their music, it just wasn't anything that got me all "excited" or anything. Well, I am asking forgiveness for my late 90s, early 2000s sins. To put it mildly, this mix has me feeling very embarrassed for my lack of enthusiasm for the Jigmastas.

More than during any period of its history previous or since, NYC hip-hop in the ’90s fixated on streets-centric authenticity. Being “real” – musically, ethically, biographically – was paramount. From their first release, however, Brooklyn’s Jigmastas proudly defined themselves by nobody’s measure of validity but their own. While others chased the so-called real, DJ Spinna and Kriminul claimed “Beyond Real,” the title of their 1996 independent single on the label of the same name, a debut gem that established their M.O. as purveyors of sonic sophistication and everyman truths.CD / vinyl available via the BBE website: bit.ly/1Jj0K7v